Speed-regulator for elevators.



E. S. MATTHEWS.

SPEED REGULATOR FOR ELEVATORS. APPLICATION FILED uov a, 1905. RENEWED APR. 1, I914.

1,212,154. Patented Jan. 9,1917.

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EDWIN S. MATTHEWS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO

PLUNGER ELEVATOR COMPANY.

OF THE STANDARD SPEED-REGULATOR ron ELEVATORS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 9,1917.

Application filed November 3, 1905, Serial No. 285,703. Renewed April'i, 1914. Serial No. 830,290.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, EDWIN S. MATTHEWS, a citizen of the United States, residing at and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Speed-Regulators for Elevators, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact specification.

This invention relates to speed regulators erence to improvements whereby the speed of an elevator may be automatically controlled through variations in pressure, without causing a sudden stoppage of the car and excessive strain upon the apparatus.

A considerable diflerence of pressure usually exists between the interior of the cylinder and the connecting pipe, particularly when the car is moving ata high speed, and the object of my invention is to utilize this differential pressure to actuateimechanism which will vary the cylinder port area, and thereby regulate the speed of the car.

A further obj ect of the invention isto utilize the velocity of the How itself to produce an additional or resultant pressure which is applied to regulate thefspeed. By my inthe diflerence of pressure is caused to move vention, the regulation takes place within the main cylinder, and preferably at the main cylinder port, in order to secure a greater eflectiveness and better regulation than where the regulating devices are disposed at a distance therefrom. By locating the valve in the main cylinder adjacent the port, quicker action is secured and excessive strains on the piping and connections outside the cylinder avoided.

According to my invention, I have provided a gate or valve at the main cylinder port, actuated by a piston contained in an auxiliary cylinder, and connected on one side with the interior of the main cylinder, and on the other side with the connecting pipe, so that the position of the auxiliary piston, and consequently of the regulating gate, depends upon the difference between the pressures on the opposite sides of the piston. Means are also provided to cause the flow to create a partial vacuum on one or the other side of the piston and thereby increase the effect of the pressure on the other side.

'the ring 5.

' the opposite side of piston 18,

The invention will be more fully described connection with the accompanying drawiing, wherein New York city, in the county of New York Figure 1 represents a vertical section of an elevator cylinder having my improvements applied thereto, Fig. 2 is a horizontal section. Fig. 3 is a detail view. Fig. 4 is a detail View of the adjusting valve; Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail,-showing the flared end -of one of the pipe connections.

for hydraulic elevators, and has special refpassage 4E andthe ported ring 5, forming the'main port and communicating with the interior of the cylinder.

7 is the gland,'through which the plunger 8 connected with the car passes, and containing the packings 9, held down by the end cap 10. Movably mounted on the ring 5 is a ported ring 11 having ports corresponding -with those of the ring 5. The ring 11 has a pin 12 which is engaged by a forked lever 13,'mounted on a shaft 15, which latter is rocked by a lever 16, thereby oscillating the ring 11 and opening or closing the ports of I will now describe the means by which the ring 11 in one direction or the other to open or close the main cylinder port, and

thereby control the speed of the car.

17 is an auxiliary cylinder'having a pis- 'ton18 mounted on a rod 19,'which is connected to lever 16. The movement of the piston in bothdirections is cushioned and retarded by a dash-pot arrangement, cons1sting of a rod 20 fitting loosely in a small cylshown 'From the pipe 4, a pipe 23, also flaring away from the main port, leads to .2 1 is a divided by-pass pipe, having spring seated pop valves 25, 26,- opening one away from, and the other toward, the main cylinder for allowing excess pressure to escape around the auxiliary cylinder after moving the piston 18. The pipe 23 has a short pipe 27 leading therefrom and containing a cock 28, which is normally closed when the cock Car 29 is open but when open permits the cylinder pressure through pipe '22 toactuate the piston 18, for the purpose of testing the operation. A weight 30 sliding in guides 82 and raised bytwo armed lever 31 or suitable springs, may be provided to keep the movable ring 11 centered, as seen in Fig. 2, so that the main port will be normally open. 7 The operation of the apparatus depends upon the difference between the pressures in the pipes-22, 23, causing a resultant movement of the ring 11 to throttle the main cylinder port and retard the speed of the car. Assumingthat the water flows into the main cylinder through the pipe 4, to cause the car to go up at a normal speed, no movement of the piston 18 and consequent throttling of the main port will occur, because of the centering weight, or whatever other device may be used, though there will necessarily be some slight difference of pressure on the opposite sides of the piston 18. As soon as the car acquires an abnormal speed going up,

for instance, the supply pressure will rise relatively to the cylinder pressure, and the piston 18 will be moved downward in Fig. 2, moving the ring 11 and partially closingthe mainports. Then the car is going down at too high a. speed, the piston 18 will be moved oppositely in a similar manner.

It will be observed that the pipes 22 and 23 have flaring ends projecting away from ,the mainports, the object being to accentuate the effect of the diflerence in pressure, by causing one to direct the flow toward the piston 18, the other at the same time acting to create a partial vacuum and consequently reducing the pressure on that side. Thus, if the car be ascending, the

pressure will be through pipe 23 to the piston 18, and at the same time, the flow will be downward from the main ports past the flared end of pipe 22, tending to reduce the pressure in pipe 22 by producinga partial vacuum, thus accentuating the difl'erence in pressure. An advantage in locating the i valve at the cylinder head is that the back pressure due to the necessary change in direction of the waterwhen it enters or leaves the cylinder helps to balance the valve, rendering it easily operated by variations in pressure, or other means. So far as I am aware, it has not been heretofore proposed to cause the flow to simultaneously vary the pressure on both sides of a pressure regulator, and thereby actuate a valve. This construction enables movable devices in the connecting pipe for restricting the flow to be dispensed with and the actuating 'connections for the'valve to be disposed where most desirable. It will therefore be understood that my invention, is not'to berestricted to any particular actuating means, or construction of pressure controlled devices, though it is preferable to have the devices for testing the operation in the opposite direction. To prevent abnormal increases from actuating the piston suddenly, the divided by-pass 24, is provided, and the loaded valves 25, 26 are oppositely set so as to open upon a marked increase of pressure, thereby preventing too sudden movement of the piston 18. I have thus provided a valve located within the main cylinder, which will control the speed of the car, in either direction, and which will not too suddenly check the car upon sudden increase in pressure. lhe by passes can also be in dependently adjusted so that the actuating pressures can be varied according to the direction of the car.

Modifications and changes may be made without departing from the scope of the invention, and I do not restrict myself to the precise construction I have shown and described.

Having thus described my invention, I

declare that what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is,

I 1. In a hydraulic elevator, the combination with a car and its plunger, of a receiving cylinder for said plunger, a perforated lining in a portion of said cylinder, and a movable device forthrottling said perforations to regulate the outflow of motor fluid from said cylinder.

2. In a hydraulic elevator, the combination with a car and its plunger, of a cylinder for said plunger, a change valve connected to said cylinder, a lining for a por tion of said cylinder and provided with a plurality of perforations to establish communication between said cylinder and change valve, and a movable throttle for closing one or more of said perforations to throttle the outflow of motor fluid from said cylinder to limit the speed of descent of the car.

' 3. .The combination with a main cylinder,

of an auxiliary cylinder containing a piston, connectionsbetween one side of the piston and the supply pipe of said main cylinder and between the other side of said piston and the interior of the main cylinder, and a valve in said main cylinder controlled by the movement of said piston for regulating the port area of said main cylinder, substantially as described.

1. The combination with a main cylinder, of an auxiliary cylinder containing a piston, connections between one side of the piston and the supply pipe of said main cylinder and between the other side of said piston and the interior of the main cylinder, and a valve at the main cylinder port controlled by the movement of said piston for regulating the port area of said main cylinder, substantially as described.

5. The combination witha main cylinder, of a regulator Within the cylinder, pressure operated means for actuating said regulator to vary the flow, and means comprising an adjustable valve'whereby sudden action of said regulator due to excessive pressure is prevented, substantially as described.

6. The combination with a main cylinder, of an auxiliary cylinder containing a piston, a pressure connection from one side of said piston to the supply pipe of said main cyllnder at a distance from the port, a pressure connection from the other side of said piston to the interior of said main cylinder at a distance from the port, and a valve within the main cylinder mechanically connected with said piston and adapted to restrict the main port opening, substantially as described.

7. The combination with a main cylinder, of a speed regulating valve located therein, and actuating connections for said valve controlled by variations in pressure to or from said cylinder, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

EDWIN S. MATTHEWS.

Witnesses:

JULIAN Woos'rnn, G110. A. HOFFMAN.

copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0. 

